Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2Format Played: Xbox 360 (also available on PS3 and PC)
Players: 1 player in campaign, 1-2 players in spec ops and the rest of the world in multiplayer!
Difficulty: The campaign mode is pretty straightforward in regular mode, though veteran remains taxing.
Gametime Needed: Regular can be beaten in around 5 hours, so add a few more hours for hardened or veteran levels. Spec ops might take a bit longer, but multiplayer has literally months of gameplay time to enjoy.
It's FINALLY here. It seems to have been an age between the groundbreaking prequel to Modern Warfare 2 (Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare). Yes, we've had the excellent World at War to keep us going in the meantime, but after 2 matches on team deathmatch on MW2, I didn't miss the aged weapons from the 1940's, and certainly didn't care about the lack of tanks in Infinity Ward's new masterpiece. Yes - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 actually lives up to the ridiculous hype.
I'll start with the campaign mode, which starts 5 years after the events of Call of Duty 4. There are plenty of familiar faces returning this time around, with the obvious exception of the terrorist leader, Zakhaev, gunned down in the finale of the previous game. Instead, a new threat has emerged - Vladimir Makarov. Unfortunately, if Zakhaev could be considered a bit iffy, Makarov is nothing less than a shit. An evil shit at that. The storyline - whilst wholly unrealistic - is full of drama, explosive scenes (both metaphorical and literal) and more plot twists than a whole season of 24. No doubt many critics will look past the already-controversial airport scene (now is not really the time to get into that debate, but I'll summarise it by saying a cut scene maybe should have sufficed) but that aside, it's certainly a gripping storyline.
Enemies coming from the left, the right, above below - it's all rather chaotic
It's arguable that the campaign mode is the weakest element of MW2. Yes, it looks great. Yes, it's fun. Yes, you get to blow cool stuff up and try to save the world. But it's still short which will come as a blow (although hardly unexpected) to anyone who hasn't got access to xbox live. I finished the campaign on regular in less than 5 and a half hours. It's also rather linear, Halo fans certainly have the upper hand when it comes to the campaign modes, with their expansive, open worlds. That's not to say the campaign mode in MW2 is poor - far from it - just don't think for one moment that it's the main selling point of the title. Because it's certainly not. It's also the only part of the game that falls short of COD 4's high standards (and that's only because they failed to reproduce the brilliance of the ghilly weed sniper level in Chernobyl.)
So - on to a new mode in MW2 - Special Operations (or Spec Ops for short). I would say it's a little bit like Nazi Zombies, but rather than facing hoards of angry (and one would argue prepostorous) zombies, MW2 plays out much more realistic scenarios, some based on the main missions of the campaign. Others owing a huge amount to the influence of COD 4 (remember the mention of the ghilly weed sniping level...? It may be missing from the campaign but there's a treat awaiting you in Spec Ops.....). But the good thing about Spec Ops is that it's 2-player co-operative, both over xbox live and split screen on the same system. It plays excellently, and try to play on veteran mode and the life span is increased. Some levels are VERY taxing. Spec Ops is also varied. One mission sees you piloting a AC-130 whilst your buddy tries to take the enemy base on foot beneath you. Another sees you working together via stealth on foot. Timing and communication are vital, and one feels a great amount of satisfaction once a mission is accomplished.
A view from the AC-130 in Spec Ops mode
If you're having a bad night on multiplayer, it can be good to take the plunge into Spec Ops with a mate, and try to beat your best time, or maybe score some stars (completing the challenge on veteran earns you 3 stars - there are 69 to aim for in total) for some lovely achievement points.
Spec Ops is an excellent, welcome addition to the franchise, one I'm sure we'll hear plenty from in the future - possibly forming part of the DLC that is bound to follow?
So - on to the main feature. Multiplayer. It took me around 15 seconds of my first game to understand one thing - multiplayer is better than it's ever been. Coming from someone who amassed 7 days solid on COD 4 and over 9 whole days on World at War, that is some accolade.
MW2 would still have sold by the bucketload if Infinity Ward would have tarted up the multiplayer mode on their previous game and added a few new quirks and new maps. But they've done more than that - multiplayer has changed dramatically enough to warrant a whole new game. There are more perks and hence challenges than ever before. There are more guns (and therefore, a lot more options and set-ups) than before. There are new incentives. Having a bad round? You get to activate a bonus feature - a 'death streak' - to help you get going a bit. Having a GOOD round? Lucky you - improved kill streaks now include improved rewards, from helicopters (previously the best reward you had) now joined by Harrier jump jets, controllable, armoured helicopters, the AC-130 and even a nuke (that subsequently ends the game) the choice is vast. You have to choose which perks to use. There are 3 slots, and the more you 'rank up', the more choice you have.
I haven't even mentioned weapons yet. There are more weapons, and each weapon has far more challenges and attachments to unlock. I'm currently on level 30 in multiplayer and I STILL haven't totally finished all the upgrades on my first assault rifle. This time, the maximum rank is 70, so stepping up through the prestiges will take a lot longer (COD's top rank was 55, WaW's was 65). Which is no bad thing!
Explosions, bullets, smoke. In multiplayer mode on the 'Favela' map
So - content wise, we have a much improved package. It's bigger, it's better, it's louder, it's far more detailed. So how have the visuals/sounds come on since Infinity Ward's last offering?
Again - they're improved. COD 4 wowed fans and critics alike with it's astounding graphics and realistic sounds. MW2 improves further. You'll notice small things, like a rogue tin can rolling down the street, to chickens flapping wildly in their cages in the market levels in urban Brazil. Even the papers that spew out of the pockets of downed soldiers looks incredible.
As for sounds - again, a huge variety. All weapons sound authentic, and have quite a huge range. My favourite is the 'popping' noise of a silenced sniper rifles. Every sound effect is spot on. Then there are the explosions. The campaign mode in particular is home to some of the most OTT explosions in gaming history. A surround sound system will love you - your neighbours maybe less so.
I have only encountered one problem with multiplayer - the chat function. Infinity Ward has decided to enforce a 'no party chat' rule on multiplayer games, so online t**ts are unfortunately encountered much more than normal. Still, the mute button still works so it's not a total disaster. I can understand the change for games such as search and destroy, when downed soldiers can still help out their squadmates from beyond the grave via party chat, but for simple team deathmatch when all I want to do is a have a natter with some mates, it can be a bit irritating to have to mute everyone else.
A multiplayer match on 'Highrise'. 3 against 1 here - the 3 should win this one..
If you haven't guessed yet, I love this game. Even though I've been playing it for less than a week, I just know that Modern Warfare 2 will spend more time in my xbox throughout 2010 than any other game. It's incredible. All of it - it looks, sounds, feels, plays and immerses you like no other game has managed to do. Despite an all-too-short campaign mode and the enforced game chat in multiplayer, there is very, very little to get frustrated about here, unless you're a bit new to the franchise and find yourself dying much too often at the hands of pre-pubescent brats (who - let's face it - shouldn't be playing this anyway, especially that airport scene).
The launch of Modern Warfare 2 set all kinds of records. The events held dwarfed any other video game launch, and the number sold in the first week have appeared to justify that. It's an epic game, one that will be spoken about for years to come. And I daresay it will still be played in those years as well. Not just a contender for the best game of the year, but it's right up there as my favourite game for the xbox 360, and possibly of all time.
The best just got better. We have a winner.
Ian's Score: 9.7
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